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Camponotus
vicinus Mayr
Figure 22
Camponotus vicinus Mayr, 1870:940;
o. Forel, 1879:60.
Camponotus maculatus subsp.
vicinus: Emery, 1893:671; o _. Wheeler, 1910a:301; o _ _.
Camponotus maculatus subsp.
vicinus var. nitidiventris Emery, 1893:672; o. Wheeler, 1910a:304;
o _. Unavailable quadrinomial
Camponotus maculatus subsp.
vicinus var. infernalis Wheeler, 1910a:305; o _. Unavailable
quadrinomial
Camponotus maculatus subsp.
vicinus var. luteangulis Wheeler, 1910a:304; o _.
Unavailable quadrinomial
Camponotus maculatus subsp.
vicinus var. maritimus Wheeler, 1910a:305; o _ _.
Unavailable quadrinomial
Camponotus maculatus subsp.
vicinus var. plorabilis Wheeler, 1910a:303; o _ _.
Unavailable quadrinomial
Camponotus maculatus subsp.
maccooki var. berkleyensis Forel, 1914b:619; o. Unavailable
quadrinomial
Camponotus maculatus subsp.
vicinus var. subrostratus Forel, 1914b:620; o. Unavailable
quadrinomial
Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex)
vicinus: Creighton, 1950:375, 381-382; o. Gregg, 1963:655,
671-675; o. Wheeler and Wheeler, 1963:170-171; map 33; o _ _. Cole,
1966:19, 20; o. Snelling, 1970:396; o. Wheeler and Wheeler, 1973:111,
113-114; o _ _; 1986:62, 63, map 41.
Camponotus vicinus: Allred,
1982:457-458. Cokendolpher and Francke, 1990:35.
RANGE: British Columbia,
Alberta and southwestern North Dakota, southward to the central
highlands of Mexico; Lower California.
DESERT RECORDS.
Map 17. Northern and western margins of Mojave and Colorado, from
adjacent Sagebrush Scrub and Chaparral.
Inyo Co.: Charcoal Kilns, 6300', DVNP, Panamint Range, 4
May
1968 (GJW, #Cal.442, 444; GJW). Kern Co.: 3 mi NW Indian
Wells,
12 Apr 1954 (J. Linsley; UCB). Los Angeles Co.: Lovejoy Buttes,
15 Apr 1946 (L. M. Martin; LACM); Juniper Hills, 4800', 12 Apr
1952 (WSC; LACM); Palmdale, 2655', 1 May 1968 (J. Powell; UCT);
Little Rock Dam, 3270', 30 Apr 1968 (J. Powell; UCB). Riverside
Co.: Deep Canyon, 6 Apr 1963 (W. A. Steffan, D. E. Bright;UCB).
San Diego Co.: Hell Hole Canyon, ABDP, 13 Apr 1946 (LACM).
DISCUSSION. As should
be evident from the above synonymic listing, this widely distributed
species is quite variable. Creighton (1950) and Snelling (1970)
have discussed the variation of this species and there is no need
to repeat those comments
here. Suffice to say merely that these forms are all minor variations
which occur sporadically through the range of this species.
The flattened, but not broadened,
base of the antennal scape will serve to separate this from the
superficially similar C. semitestaceus. Differences between
C. vicinus and C. sansabeanus have been discussed
under the latter species. Since C. ocreatus
occurs principally to the east of C. vicinus, in our area,
there should be few difficulties involved in separating the two
species; C. ocreatus is easily recognized by clypeal structure
and the color of the tibiae.
Within the desert area, C.
vicinus has been taken at elevations between 2655 and 6300 feet.
More common in Sagebrush Scrub and Piñon-juniper Woodlands,
we do have records from Joshua Tree Woodland and Creosote Bush Scrub.
In the Chaparral biome, where
the species is common, mating flights occur during the spring, especially
after rains. No mating flights have been observed in desert areas,
but a dealated female has been taken on the ground in April and
males have been found in nests in the same month.
Nests are in soil as a rule,
commonly situated at the base of a shrub or under a stone. Tumuli
are messy mounds of soil or very irregular craters.
Foraging is primarily crepuscular
and nocturnal. Although the ant is an omnivore, it is especially
fond of nectar and honeydew which it secures from plants and various
homopterans.
The scuttle fly, Apocephalus
similis Malloch (Diptera: Phoridae), has been found to attack
this species of Camponotus (Disney 1994).
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